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2019 in Review

We had a great December Team event and the food was outstanding. Thanks to everyone who was able to attend.

2019 was a terrific year for West Orange County CERT. As a Team:

Participated in 38 different events
We logged more than 2,500 hours on behalf of our communities
We had 50 members put in 20 or more hours (up a dozen from 2018) and 20 of those members put in more than 40 hours
Showed more than 50 community members how they and their families can become more “ready” for disaster
Held 5 Neighbor 4 Neighbor^® events and logged almost 150 hours in the process

And that does not include the hundreds of hours the Team has invested in both online and in person training and development.

It’s an incredible investment benefiting both our Team and the communities that we serve.

Thanks to each and everyone of you who participated in some way during 2019. It could have been at an event, taking a course, helping at the Academy or some other behind the scenes effort. We could not have done it without you. THANK YOU!!

And we are looking forward to an even better 2020. Make sure to stay connected and join us in helping our communities become more prepared and safer.

Here’s a recap of the year that was 2019

July 2019 CERT Academy – Week 1 – What an Amazing Group

We kicked off our 2019 CERT Academy* with an amazing group of community members and leaders. This is a great class representing all six cities who sponsor our program and a half dozen surrounding communities.

Our first weekend we covered disaster psychology, fire safety, utility control for your home, search and light rescue, and disaster triage and first aid. Quite a lot of terrific information. And thanks to the City of Westminster, we had a delicious Italian meal for Saturday lunch.

As special thanks to all of our instructors and to Dr. Heather Williams for coming out to talk with our class about disaster psychology and the emotional effects of disaster for everyone including responders.

Here’s a quick summary video of weekend 1

CERT Academy is for you too!

If you want to find out more about how you too can prepare your family for the next disaster that strikes your neighborhood or Southern California, please sign up here and we will send you an invitation to our next class.

* The West Orange County CERT Academy covers the basic FEMA CERT 20 hour training course and includes a full exercise following our graduation ceremonies on the second Saturday.

Skill Review: Disaster Psychology (for You & Others)

West Orange County CERT - Skill Review: Disaster Psychology — **Skill Review: Disaster Psychology**

We never know when a disaster will occur or even what it will look or feel like to us or the people around us. At times this can make us feel powerless and out of control.

Knowing what is “normal” and understanding how you and your family may feel before, during and after a disaster can help you and them get back to “normal” again, whatever that is for you.

Here’s a good disaster psychology video to remind you about some of the tools you have at your disposal.

Disaster Psychology Review

Our West Orange County CERT program teaches and reviews skills like this during our bi-monthly training sessions (complete with a great pot-luck and fellowship), our periodic training Saturdays, and our CERT Academy courses. If you would like to find out more about our CERT program and how it can help you keep your family safe in a disaster, please contact us here. If you are not in our area, we will try to connect you to your local CERT program. The more people who are trained, the better prepared our country is – and that is our intent. #CERTforAll